


Potential Energy

by Sky_Chau



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Eggman is abusive, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Not Beta Read, Some parts of the games are canon, Will put more specific tws in the chapter summaries they apply to, but not all, comments really help the writing develop here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:40:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29271138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sky_Chau/pseuds/Sky_Chau
Summary: Sonic gets a glimpse of what could be the start of Metal's sentience and makes it a personal mission to help him find it.
Relationships: Metal Sonic/Sonic the Hedgehog
Comments: 5
Kudos: 23





	1. Jackpot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonic has an odd encounter with his metal copy and it gets him thinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Gods or Saviors  
> Just odds in your favor  
> so don't stop  
> don't stop  
> till you hit  
> the Jackpot!

From the very beginning Metal Sonic has always been an oddity to Sonic. A Metal copy of himself supposedly designed to learn and replicate the behaviours of the genuine article. And yet this copy seems to fall short of imitation in several key categories, such as moral alignment, and fighting style. 

As much flack as Sonic gives Shadow for being his faker he still knows that the only entity trying to be his fake is Metal. He doesn’t acknowledge this because something about the way Metal copies him makes him harder to hate than Shadow. He’s cold, calculated, and offers a challenge no one else has to offer Sonic. Whenever Sonic is bored he seeks his metal copy and taunts him until he finds himself in a high speed chase. Week after week they chase each other across the landscape. Sonic has a few close calls before ultimately disappearing over the horizon and keeping Metal off his tail until their next race. If Metal gets too close, he takes a shot at Sonic. As is to be expected of any badnik.

At least, that’s how things usually go. How they’re supposed to go. Much in the way that when you buy a lottery ticket you’re supposed to lose. You expect to lose, but you pay up anyway because the money funds the local schools or something like that.

Sometimes what’s supposed to happen simply doesn’t. Sonic miscalculates a turn and finds himself at a complete dead end. Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. By all laws of probability, this should’ve escalated into a fight. That’s what was expected to happen. But today is different. Today is the day that that one in a billion chance comes to fruition. 

Metal simply stops in his tracks and stares at Sonic. He could’ve fought Sonic here, and yet he doesn’t. Metal shows no sign of hostility and lets Sonic pass right by him. Loosing tactical advantage in the process. 

Sonic takes the offer to pass freely and looks back at his rival. “Why didn’t you kill me there?” Sonic asks. It’s a rhetorical question. As far as anyone knows, Metal hasn’t been capable of speech since he got his memory wiped as a direct result of the events of Sonic heroes.

Metal remains silent, Sonic visibly has his attention.

“Was it Mercy? Fear?” Sonic tilts his head and smiles “ Or do you think you’d miss me?”.

“No.” Metal glares back as if insulted.

Sonic’s eyes go wide. “I didn’t know you could talk. Is that a new feature?”“No. Father always said chattiness was one of your worst qualities. It would be foolish to try to emulate that.” Metal crosses his arms and tilts his head as if to scoff.

“Why start now?” Sonic’s interest is piqued. It had never occurred to Sonic that the copy’s distorted reflection of himself might be a product of willful deviation. For the first time Sonic considers the idea that Metal might have a personality of his own behind the goal of being the bigger better Sonic. Previously he thought the robot had lost that complexity in the memory wipe.“Father isn’t here currently”“So you wanted to” Sonic smiles. “No.” he said as Eggman approached.

Sonic takes the hint and makes himself scarce. Not wanting to risk leading the enemy to his home he runs to Angel Island. Everyone knows where it is so it’s not in additional danger if they follow Sonic.

He arrives at the floating ruins to find the place is oddly silent. Only the quiet hum of the master emerald emanates from the center. He peers through the empty doorframe of the temple. 

Knuckles is asleep. Snoring softly the echidna chokes as he jolts up. “Who dares- oh. It’s you.”

“Still me pal.”

“Long time no see. What brings you out here?” Knuckles huffs lifting himself from the empty grave he uses as a bed. 

“Oh you know, just needed a place to collect my thoughts.” Sonic stretches “meditate on some things.”

“You’re running away from that stupid robot copy again, aren’t you.”

“Maybe”

“You know how I feel about you luring him here” Knuckles crosses his arms 

“It’s not like the location is a secret.” Sonic quirks an eye ridge.

“The robot is bad news, the last thing he needs is an excuse to be in the area.” 

“I’m not so sure about that anymore.”

“Hmph, right.”

“I’m serious. I had a bit of a chat with him. I think he might go rogue again. But like in a good way this time.”

Knuckles rolls his eyes “What makes you say that?”

“Well, I kinda got myself cornered and Metal just stopped. He let me go.”

“That’s weird.”

“I know right” Sonic looks back to Knuckles with excitement.

“I still wouldn’t trust him. But that’s weird.”

Sonics excitement quickly fades. “Yeah, right.” He pauses for a moment “but hypothetically, if he did have a change of heart, you’d give him a chance?”

“If ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ were sticks and nuts, we’d all have a merry Christmas.” Knuckles snarks back.

“Later Knucklehead.” Sonic frowns, heading back home.

The echidna may be gullible, but his foolishness stems from cynicism. A sharp contrast to Sonics shining optimism. 

Knuckles is easily fooled by falsehoods playing on his assumptions that everyone is secretly selfish. Which is exactly how Eggman convinces him that Sonic wants the master emerald ever four years.

Sonics downfall is that he is the ultimate paragon. He gives second chances and the benefit of the doubt to people with ill intentions. He sees the good in people who objectively have none. At the first sign of hope Sonic finds himself invested in Metals development. Firmly believing that his projected feelings surely must ring true for his metal copy.

Sonics trust in others is not something that has to be earned. He optimistically extends it to anyone in which he sees the potential for good. This has been and will continue to be a source of concern among Sonics allies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is arguably my first time writing something thats not funny at the face of it. So comments really help me nail down the more serious tone. Please help me out here.


	2. Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events of last chapter from Metals perspective and then some.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My feet burn holes in concrete  
> My eyes light up like sunbeams  
> My words lock into them softly  
> I gotta fever, I'm so sick
> 
> I thought I told you not to touch me  
> But fingerprints all over me  
> Now my throat's choked up and I can't breathe  
> She gave me fever, I feel sick
> 
> No one believes me  
> They think that its a game  
> Can't control my hunger pain  
> Never meant to live this way
> 
> Stay up all damn night  
> Then sleep through the day  
> I need you to fix me up  
> One more hit, its not too late

Metal Sonic finally has his loathsome copy cornered. Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. The opportunity was all too tempting. The thought of the hedgehogs severed head in his hands with his metal fingers entangled in its quills was thrilling.

He’d love to. But no. Metal simply stops in his tracks and stares at Sonic. He could’ve fought Sonic here, and yet he doesn’t. Metal shows no sign of hostility and lets Sonic pass right by him. Loosing tactical advantage in the process. 

Sonic takes the offer to pass freely and looks back at his rival. “Why didn’t you kill me there?” Sonic asks. 

Metal remains silent, looking up at the flesh hog. He knows exactly why he didn’t. It’s simple, really. Sonic’s death is not in Metals best interests, as killing him successfully ensures his own demise. 

Metal is fully aware that in the event Sonic dies, Eggman would have him deactivated. His sole function is killing one person. Once that person is gone, there is no point in keeping him around.

“Was it Mercy? Fear?” Sonic tilts his head and smiles “Or do you think you’d miss me?”.

If metal had a stomach, It’d be sick. “No.” Metal glares back as if insulted. He wouldn’t miss his false idol. Never in a million years. Sonic is nothing but a pain in his gearbox.

Sonic’s eyes go wide. “I didn’t know you could talk. Is that a new feature?”

“No. Father always said chattiness was one of your worst qualities. It would be foolish to try to emulate that.” Metal crosses his arms and tilts his head as if to scoff.

“Why start now?”

“Father isn’t here currently,” Metal states simply.

“So you wanted to,” Sonic smiles.

“No.” he said, speaking too soon, as Eggman approached.

Sonic takes the hint and makes himself scarce. 

The hum of Eggman’s airship echoes behind him. Metal doesn’t bother looking back. He has to remind himself that Robots cannot and should not ‘feel’ as a wave of dread washes over him. He knows where this is going.

“You almost had him!” Eggman exits the ship. His boots clacking on the hard metal flooring.

Metal stays silent.

“Tell me Metal, what in the world is your major malfunction!?” The man shouts, looming over the robot with a killer’s intent.

“My diagnostics came back clean.”

“Ah, so it’s not your systems.” Something in his father’s face becomes more predatory “must be you.”

Metal stiffens.

“What good is a robot that can’t fulfill its purpose?”

“Scrap metal” Metal bows “it won’t happen again”

“Good boy.” The man rubs a hand at the top of Metals head. As if to pet a dog or ruffle his nonexistent quills.

The demeaning praise has Metal reeling. His rewards system cant tell the difference between genuine compliments and patronizing comments. The rush causes Metal to shudder briefly. To add insult to injury, Metal is coded to lean into his master’s touch. Losing autonomy in this instance is humiliating.

Metal hates how good that makes him feel’. Partially because he knows his father means to degrade him. All he can do is look onward and crave for more. More of his time. More of his touch. More of his praise. Even if he himself doesn’t want those things, his code incentivizes it. He has no choice but to respond positively to his master’s attention.

He’s not fond of the fact that he must describe this sensation as ‘feeling’. Like some silly organic.

A day has passed since he let Sonic go. Eggman has been showering him with faux praise, so sweet that it becomes sour. He needs to cool down. He feels… sick. All this ‘feeling’ is incredibly off putting. He runs until he can’t run anymore, almost out of battery.

He lands himself in a flower field and lays there. The softness of his surroundings act as a sharp contrast to the simulation of pain he’s experiencing on the inside. Metal yearns for the ability to vomit. Anything to give this sickness a place to exit his body. 

Relief never comes. This feeling is trapped in his metal shell, and it will remain there until the end of time. Metal curls himself into the fetal position. He is a robot, so it doesn’t comfort him in the slightest. It merely expresses his discomfort.

His processors repeat “I am a tool and a tool cannot want, I am a tool and a tool cannot feel, I am a tool and a tool is made to be used.” over and over again. 

An hour passes and his batteries recharge fully. The sun is at its highest point when the rabbit and her chao approach the Robot hiding in the flower field. “Hello Mr. Sonic.” Cream smiles down at the figure, not yet realizing that this is not her funny blue comrade.

Metal does his best to imitate Sonic’s voice, as not to cause unnecessary alarm. It’s not an easy feat. It hasn’t been since he went out of commission for a period of time. Father won’t tell him why he shut down, or why his vocal chip got such a steep downgrade. All he knows is the loss of pitch editing makes recording and convincingly imitating organic voices incredibly difficult.

“Mhhn?” Metal repeats a raw voice clip he keeps filed away.

“Oh, did I disturb your nap? Im sorry!” Cream apologizes.

“Chao Chao!”

“Nah.” Metal pauses to hide the audio cut “What’s up?”

“Me and Cheese were trying to collect gifts for Mommy. I wanted to pick that apple over there, but it’s really stuck on the tree. You’re strong enough to help us, right?”

“Sure” Metal stands up and gives the apple a twist followed by a pull. He turns to offer the fruit with an extended arm. 

Something in the children’s eyes change as they see Metals figure in broad daylight, unobstructed by the various flora and shade. Cream tenses and takes the apple from Metal with the utmost caution. 

“T-thank you” even struck with fear, the little girl is incredibly polite. The two kids wisely run away. 

Metal imitates a sigh. Slumping in defeat for only a second as the sound of footsteps approach from behind. They start off fast and quiet and slow down as they get louder and closer. 

“You’re not Sonic…” Tails comments, his expression melting into a frown as Metal turns to see.

Metal displays his blinking animation.

“That sounds dumb, doesn’t it… I just- from a distance, I saw you help Cream-” Tails fumbles over his words, “I wasn’t expecting it to be you.”

Metal blinks again.

“You still can’t talk… right. Are you deviant again?” Tails prods cautiously.

“Again?” Metal speaks, dropping the imitation of Sonic’s voice.

“I mean, if you were deviant, this wouldn’t be the first time.”

“What makes you think I’m deviant?” Metal doesn’t want to be deviant. The mere insinuation makes him go stiff.

“You’re currently docile, and you expressed compassion...Which is not something I believe Dr. Eggman intended for you to do...” Tails takes a step back.

“You’re not the authority on father’s intent.” Metal immediately gets defensive. Slowly slipping into a stance that is visibly more hostile. His eyes lock on the fox. Docile? Metal will step up and show the fox docile if he keeps pushing it.

“You got me there.” Tails furrows his eye ridges. As casually as the boy can manage, he makes a run for it. Thankfully the robot ignores him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again comments really help me nail the tone and the feel. Metal is considerably harder to write in this instance because I'm looking to draw a parallels to a darker topic without making it so edgy its unpalatable. Give your best guess to what the parallel is if you can.


	3. Painkillers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonic offers to protect Metal from Eggman.
> 
> (TW: The CSA analogy gets more direct. Though not explicit the analogy reads well enough to make some folks uncomfortable)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I look like her  
> Does she talk like me?  
> Been feeling insecure  
> Co-dependency is hard to break  
> When you never make it easy  
> Reconstructive surgery can't fix my anxiety

“Sonic!” Tails runs up to meet the hedgehog on his way back into the house.

“Sup lil’ man”

“I think Metal has gone deviant again.”

Sonic blinks. Last time Metal went ‘deviant’ he turned into a dragon and tried to take over the world. “Uh oh”

“No, no! I think we’re still in the early stages.”

“That’s a good thing?”

“Very” Tails grins.

“How good?”

“Metal could join the resistance good.”

“I knew it!” Sonic grins wide. The thought of Metal going from deadly rival to competitive friend is incredibly alluring.

“I mean don’t get your hopes up too high… I was thinking If we catch him while he's still questioning himself we might nudge him in the right direction.”

“That sounds. . . A little manipulative Tails.”

“It is” Tails rubs the back of his neck."admittedly the goal is to manipulate him into a self image that puts him on our side… if you could just talk to him-“

“I don’t feel comfortable doing that.” As far as Sonic is aware, manipulation isn’t a skill Metal has managed to pick up since the memory wipe. The last thing he wants to do is give Metal an example to copy.

“Look all I’m saying is if you want to go about befriending him, you should do it now before it’s too late” Tails sighs “I’d do it myself but Metal doesn’t interact with me in the same way”

“You’re not the one he’s programmed to copy,” Sonic looks out the window in thought.  
“Exactly, if he’s going to learn about friendship, I think it has to be from copying you.”

Speaking of copying, Metal Sonic has room for improvement. At least according to his creator.

“Let me get this straight, you can’t seem to catch Sonic. And today the echidna saw right through your disguise, so you’re no good at convincingly imitating him either.”

“My data shows Knuckles has the ability to sniff out chaos energy. He could tell I had an emerald in my backup power slot.”

“And so you lost a chaos emerald…did you?.”

“I did, sir.”

“We are not equals, nowhere near it with that failure.”

“Yes master”

Ivo laughs “do you like it when I touch you? Is that why you work so hard to piss me off? Hm?”

“No.”

“Spit it out”

“No… master?”

“Was that a question or an answer, Metal?”

“An answer master.”

“Good. You’re getting the picture. As for the content of your earlier response...well, I don’t believe you.”

Metal steps back “I. I. I… I am incapable of lying to you.”

“I designed you meticulously to be the most capable robot in my entire fleet, and yet time and time again you still fail at a higher rate than your less complex siblings. “ the man saunters Metal into a corner “explain to me Metal what you get out of disappointing me so frequently.”

“Nothing master.”

Eggman strokes the side of Metal’s head, “that’s the wrong answer.”

“I’m not sure what you mean master” every part of this is humiliating.

Eggman pins the robot in the corner, dragging his finger along the jaw and under his chin, forcing his creation to look up at him. “Admit it, Metal. You fail in order to get my attention, because you like it when I touch you.”

“I don’t”

“But you do. I coded you to enjoy my touch.” Eggman continues to run his hands all over Metal. Eliciting a hiccup in the robot’s response..

“That’s not- that’s not why I fail.”

“Are you insulting my skills Metal?”

“No master”

“Then say it!” Ivo growls, pushing his head into the hard wall with his palms.

“Please- stop” Metal wants to cry and vomit despite the fact he leans into the touch.

“Say it”

“I. I fail because-“ Metal chokes back what he expects to be a robotic sob “I fail because I like it- I like it when you touch me, sir-“ what eventually slips out much to Metals own horror is a robotic moan. Metal has no understanding of the implications of what is going on. After all, how could he. He didn’t even know he was coded to react in this way.

Ivo looks thrilled at Metals response. “Now, now is that how we address me here?”

Metal whimpers “I fail because I like it when you touch me master“, Metal at this point is shaking in fear and disgust. Why must this feel good? He doesn’t want it. He wants to be able to control himself but he can’t.

“Good boy” His master coos releasing the robot’s head from its position on the wall. “Was that so hard? Hm?” Eggman pulls him into a hug.

Metal hugs back, releasing a Metallic sobbing sound as he hides his face in the man’s chest.

“Did I push you too much?” Ivo fake pouts.

Metal nods.

“All that I ask is you succeed at a rate closer to that of the other creations. If you cant manage that well it wouldn’t take much effort to modify you into a sort of robot consort.”

Metal quiets down.

“Go on. Pull yourself together and catch that rat for me.” His creator gently pushes him in the door's direction.

It’s hours later when Sonic spots Metal sat at the bottom of a canyon. As he sneaks closer, Sonic hears… crying? Sonic didn’t know Metal could cry.

Sonic approaches Metal openly out of concern, “Hey dude, I heard you lost a fight with Knux… what’s going on with you?”

“What’s going on with me is that you keep making me look bad!” Metal chokes out in what appears to be rage. He throws a punch at the flesh-hog that lands right on his cheek.

“Woah! Buddy, I think there’s been a misunderstanding” Sonic runs his cheek thrown entirely off guard by Metal’s sudden mood swing.

“Every day it’s, ‘look at you such a failure why can’t you be more like Sonic’” Metal kicks Sonic in the gut with his knee “‘you disappoint me again how hard is it to pass as a stupid idiot flesh-hog!’”

“Ngh! Metal please-“

“Just once- I’d like to see someone humiliate you for not being enough like me!” Metal clasps a hand around Sonics throat, choking him.

“Metal, he shouldn’t do that to you.”

“Well then, what should he do?!”

Sonic gasps behind Metal’s hands as they tighten. “He should accept you for what you are. Whatever you’re scared of you don’t deserve to be treated that way.” Sonics eyes water from lack of oxygen. “I can help you”

Metal takes a few more precious seconds before finally releasing Sonic. Sonic coughs and keels over. Metal kicks Sonic in the gut seeming impatient. Sonic supposes it’s a good sign that Metal is so eager to listen.

“Give me a second. Holy-“ Sonic coughs “kicking the wind out of me does not make me want to help you- MMF!” Metal kicks him again.

“I’m DOWN! Knock it off!” Another kick.

“Alright! Alright! I’ll protect you! Just let me catch my breath for chaos’ sake Metal!” Sonic rolls over coughing up a storm. Thankfully Metal seems to have caught on to the fact that Sonic can’t talk if he can’t breathe.

“Elaborate.”

Sonic finally catches his breath and sits up. “So long as you don’t hurt anyone, I’ll let you live with me and Tails. I’ll protect you from Eggman and his bots. You don’t have to deal with him anymore.”

“Okay.”

“Does that sound good to you, Mets?”

Metal nods.

“There’s gonna be a catch.”

Metals eye display flashes angrily.

“I’m not trusting you with the location of my home until I’m absolutely certain you aren’t going to be evil about it.”

Metal seems hesitant to accept with these new conditions “how long.”

“Two weeks, probably. Is that reasonable?”

“If not, your home, where will I stay and recharge?”

“I was thinking Big’s old beach house would work...it’s off the grid so I’ll see if I can get Knuckles to give you the emerald back for recharging.”

“Deal.”

Sonic smiles, pulling Metal into a hug.

Metal tenses and shoves Sonic off with little visible regard for whether or not Sonic would be hurt in the process. “Don't touch me.”

Sonic frowns apologetically “I didn’t realize-” Sonic doesn’t understand Metals discomfort but given the rocky state of the relationship right now he’s not going to pry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again comments really help me write this. Both in direction and motivation. Feel free to scream about it.


End file.
